Absence is also high among workers tasked with maintaining the building, such as cleaners and porters.

Between March 2017 and February 2018 the average staff member was off for 5.13 per cent of their working hours. In January this year, the sickness rate reached a high of 5.77 per cent, before sharply declining the following month.

In a bid to tackle the problem, the Trust produced a recovery plan for sickness absence in 2016, which is regularly reviewed and updated.

Angela Wilkinson, director of workforce at the trust said: “Maintaining employee health and wellbeing is a key focus area at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals and includes support for staff who report stress and anxiety related health issues.

“We have a nationally accredited occupational health service that supports

employees who suffer from mental as well as physical ill health, and a dedicated attendance management team working to support our managers to reduce employee absence.

“In the coming months we will be training two members of our occupational health team, with Mental Health First Aid England, to become mental health first aid instructors. They will then train colleagues at the trust so we can build a network of mental health first aiders.

“We positively recognise all the hard work and effort of everyone who works here by engaging and listening to our staff to ensure that we are making continuous improvements to their health and wellbeing.”

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